Commissioner insurance axed

Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, November 22, 2005

BAD AXE  Huron County Commissioners no longer will be offered health insurance through the county after action taken by the board Tuesday morning.

A resolution discussed during last weeks committee meeting of the whole was presented during Tuesdays regular meeting and passed unanimously with little discussion. Last week, Commissioner Don Booms presented the issue to the board, saying the health insurance could potentially cost the county more than $180,000 if every commissioner chose to accept it.

County employees, including commissioners, are eligible to receive health coverage through the county. Employees who choose not to take the health insurance are eligible for a payment of $3,000 per year in lieu of the benefits.

The payment in lieu of insurance is due to increase next year to $4,800. Insurance costs the county about $6,700 a year for a single employee, $14,800 a year for a married employee and $17,500 for an employee with a family.

Under a plan proposed last week by Booms, and introduced as two resolutions Tuesday by Personnel Committee Chairman Robert Haldane, commissioners no longer would be eligible for the health insurance benefit, but would have the $3,000 payment in lieu of the benefit tacked on to their base wage. Booms said the payment in lieu of the benefit for commissioners will remain at $3,000, even after contracts bump that figure to $4,800 for other employees.

Commissioners currently make $11,000 per year, $12,000 per year for the chairman, along with receiving health care benefits. The new plan will make the base wages $14,000 and $15,000, respectively, and eliminate health insurance altogether. In 2005, only former Commissioner Dale Wertz and Commissioner Jim Leonard received the health insurance. Haldane, Chairman Mike Gage and Commissioner Dale Koehler receive retiree health insurance through their former jobs, and Booms and Commissioner Ron Wruble receive health insurance through their current jobs. None of the commissioners who receive health coverage elsewhere have chosen to take the $3,000 payment in lieu of insurance from the county.

In 2005, the total cost of the board of commissioners, including wages and benefits, was $104,500. Under the resolution passed Tuesday that figure would top out at $99,000.

The public might perceive this as getting a $3,000 raise, which we are in base wage, but in reality were taking a cut in benefits, Booms said. The end result is the budget stays the same as it has been, but with new members coming up it limits what we have to pay out. The bottom line is were not going to receive any more than we had before.

The board will see at least two new faces over the next year, as a replacement for Wertz will come on soon, and Koehler announced months ago he does not intend to seek another term when his current term expires.

Koehler indicated he would not accept the wage increase but was in favor of the plan. He said the $3,000 bump in base pay should help offset the loss of benefits, and still be enough to attract people to the positions in the future.

You have to have some incentive more than chicken feed to have quality people in for these positions, he said. It takes time (away from family and work).